Steam-table.



J. F. ROBBINS.

STEAM TABLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6. 1916.

1,217,880. Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

James I Rabbz'ns.

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JAMES F. ROBBINS, OF LINCOLN, ILLINOIS.

STEAM-TABLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 27, 1917;

Application filed May 6, 191a seriaino; 95,844..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES F. ROBBINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lincoln, in the county of Logan and State of Illinois, have invented a Steam-Table, of which the following is a full and complete specification.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a steam-table for restaurants, cafs, and lunch-rooms which may be maintained very economically by using the heat of the cooking-stove in the kitchen to generate the steam applied to the steam-table for keeping varieties of food warm and ready to serve.

With this main object in view I contemplate an arrangement of apparatus in which a boiler or tank is connected by circulating pipes to the water-back of the cooking-stove for accumulating steam in said boiler, from which it is conducted to the steam-table and to a coffee-urn; the steam table being constructed in the present instance with separate compartments or chambers below the food receptacles so that as many of saidreceptacles, with their contents, may be subjected to the effect of the steam as desired.

My present invention also contemplates an arrangement for directing the steamagainst the bottom of one or more receptacles for increasing the supply of steam to such receptacles, thereby providing for more quickly heating the contents as well as serving to cook the food;

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear in the specification, and what I particularly claim as my invention, and desire to protect by Letters-Patent, is more specifically set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof:

Figure 1 is a front elevationshowing the general arrangement 'of the devices employed in connection with the steam-table. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of the boiler or tank in which the steam is generated. V

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through the steam-table.

I Fig. 4: is a horizontal sectional view through the same.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view, partly in section, illustrating the manner of rotatably connecting the steam dischargepipes to the supply pipe.

Likenumerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In carrying out my invention I employ in the first instance a boiler or tank 7, in which steam is generated or collected for distribution to a conventional type of coffeeurn 8, and to a steam-table 9, the latter being hereinafter particularly described. This'boiler or tank contains a body of water which is heated by means of a cooking-stove 10, the circulating pipes 11 and 12, extending to and fromsaid boiler con necting with the water-back of the stove in the usual manner, and in order to conveniently maintain an approximate water level in the boiler a water-supply pipe 13 from V the service main or other source is coupled to one of the circulating pipes, as 11, and provided with a regulating-valve 14. The other circulating pipe, 12, which enters the bottom of the boiler, is provided with a faucet, 15, for drawing water from the boiler or tank whenrequired. Said boiler or tank is also providedwith the usual form of water-gage 16, to show the water level, and projecting from the top of the boiler is a safety-valve 17 of a conventional type, coupled by a short pipe connection 18, having at one side an air-valve 19, and to this pipe .18 is connected thesteam-pipe 20v which leads to the steam-table. The steampipe 20 is tapped by a branch pipe 21 leading to the coffee-urn and-having a valve 22, and it will be understood, of course, that other branches from the aforesaid steampipej may be provided for heating any other devices used in a restaurant, caf, or lunch-room in which the apparatus may be installed. An ordinary'form of steam-gage, 23, is coupled; to the steam-pipe at a convenient point, forthe purpose of indicating the'steam-pressure. V

The. steam-boiler; and coffee-urn are supported in any suitable manner, as for instance by the brackets 24 and 25, respectively; but of course the urn and steamtable may be located at any desired distance from the boiler and cook-stove, the drawing showing them adjacent thereto merely for convenience of illustration.

The steam-table in the present instance is in the form of a long box, of any suitable material, having the top 26 fitting therein and provided with openings toreceive covered'receptables 27 and 28 in which the food to be cooked or warmed is contained, the

receptacles having flanges resting on the top so that the body of said receptacles will depend into the box. The steam-table or box is divided into separate compartments 29, 30 and 31 by vertical walls 9, 9 and into each compartment extends a feed-pipe 32 from the steam supply pipe 20, said feedpipes being rotatably connected to the couplings 33 and terminating at their inner ends in nozzles 34;. To regulate and cut ofi the supply of steam to the compartments of the steam-table the feed-pipes are provided with valves 35, located outside the box and also providing the means for turning said feed-pipes to change the position of the nozzles, for the purpose hereinafter ex plained. Any ordinary form of rotatable coupling may be employed; for instance the one shown in Fig. 5, in which the short pipe 33"- from the coupling 33 is externally threaded to receive a flanged coupling 40, the flange of the latter cooperating with a corresponding flange on the end of pipe section 32 and an interposed packing 41, forming a oint which will permit the pipes 32, 32 carrying the valve 35 and nozzle 3%, to be turned, as hereinbefore stated. By providing separate compartments, with individual steam discharge pipes, steam may be admitted to all or to any one of them, as desired, and of course this is an advantage inasmuch as in some instances it may be desired to keep only one or two kinds of food warm, thereby economizing steam.

Furthermore it may be desired in some instances to very quickly heat the food in one of the receptacles in each compartment, and therefore I purpose disposing the nozzle 34 below one of the openings so as to dis charge directly againstthe bottom of the receptacle, as 28, depending from said opening, a short partition 36 being also provided to confine the steam around this particular receptacle. The short partition 36 depends from the top and terminates a short distance from the bottom of the box so that the steam may pass to the other side of said partition, and in order to equalize the distribution of the steam when it is desired to merely keep food warm in both receptacles 27 and 28 a deflector-plate 37 is formed at the lower end of the partition on a line with the nozzle, whereby when the latter is turned it will discharge against the underside of said deflector-plate. This particular arrangement will also provide for cooking food in each one of the receptacles 28, and in such instance it may be used as an auxiliary cooking appliance.

From the foregoing description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be readily seen that the steam-table when employed in restaurants, cafes, and lunch rooms may be maintained in a very economical manner, inasmuch as the Water heated by the kitchen cooking-range used in such establishments is utilized in the present instance to supply the'steam for the steam-table, and that the entire apparatus may be installed at small expense.

In the operation of the apparatus it is only necessary to occasionally supply water to the boiler to maintain an approximate water-level therein, being accomplished by manipulating the valve 14, and of course should the steam-pressure at any time become excessive the safety-valve 17 will open automatically; or the valve 19 may be manipulated to let off some of the steam to the extent required and indicated by the gage 23, The steam generated in the boiler and supplied through the pipe 20 may be discharged into any one or all of the compartments in the steam-table and used for warming food in the receptacles either quickly or slowly, or for cooking food by adjusting the nozzles in the manner hereinbefore particularly described( In. order to prevent back-pressure in the pipes leading to and from the steam-table and coffee-urn, respectively, I apply ordinary check-valves 20 and 21 to said pipes; these valves permitting free passage of steam to the steam-table and urn but operating to automatically close in case there is a backward suction from any cause, as for instance when cold water is supplied to the boiler 7 in maintaining the normal Water level.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A steam-table for the purposes set forth comprising a box'having compartments and openings in the top above said compartments to receive food receptacles, a steam supply pipe extending along one side of the box, valved feed pipes rotatably connected to the steam supply pipe and discharging into the compartments, respectively; together with a boiler to which the steam supply pipe is connected, and circulating pipes from the boiler to a cooking-range.

2. A steam table comprising a box having compartments and openings in the top above said compartments to receive food receptacles, a steam supply pipe extending along one side ofthe box, valved feed pipes rotatably connected to the steam supply pipe and extending into the compartments, respectively, and a nozzle at the inner end of the feed pipe below one of the openings in the top of the compartment, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth;

A steam table comprising a box having compartments and openings in the top above said compartments to receive food receptacles, a steam supply pipe extending along one side of the box, valved feed pipes rotatably connected to the steam supply pipe and extending into the compartments, respectively, nozzles at the inner ends of the feed pipes and disposed at an angle with respect thereto, and deflector-plates at one side of the nozzles, substantially as shown and for the purposes set forth.

4. A steam table comprising a box having openings in the top and walls separating the box into compartments with two or more of the aforesaid openings leading into each compartment, food receptacles supported in the openings in. the top, and a short partition depending from the top to confine one of the receptacles between said partition and a transverse wall of the box; together with a steam supply pipe extending along one side of the box, and a valved feed-pipe rotatablv connected to said steam supply pipe and extending therefrom into the compartment to a point below the receptacle confined between the partition and transverse wall, substantially as shown and for the purposes set forth.

5. A steam table couu'n-ising a box having openings in the top and walls separating the box into compartments with two or more of the aforesaid openings leading into each compartment, food receptacles supported in the openings in the top, a short partition depending from the top to confine one of the receptacles in a compartment between said partition and a transverse wall of the box, and a horizontal deflector-plate at the lower end of the partition; together with a steam supply pipe extending along one side of the box, a valved feed pipe rotatably connected to the steam supply pipe and extending therefrom into the compartment to a point below the receptacle confined between the partition and transverse wall, and a nozzle on the inner end of the feed-pipe at one side of the deflector-plate, substantially as shown and for the purposes set forth.

JAMES F. ROBBINS. Witnesses T. P. LANGAN, EVAN VVoRTI-I.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

